Lipid Peroxidation 1 st Year MBBS

Lipid Peroxidation refers to the oxidative degradation of lipids.oxidativelipids It is the process in which free radicals "steal" electrons from the lipids in cell membranes, resulting in cell damage.free radicalscell membranes

Lipid Peroxidation This process proceeds by a free radical chain reaction mechanism. It most often affects polyunsaturated fatty acids, because they contain multiple double bonds in between which lie methylene -CH2- groups that possess especially reactive hydrogens.chain reaction polyunsaturatedfatty acidsmethylenehydrogens As with any radical reaction, the reaction consists of three major steps: initiation, propagation, and termination.

Initiation Initiation is the step in which a fatty acid radical is produced. The most notable initiators in living cells are reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as OH· (Hydroxyl radical)radicalreactive oxygen speciesOH· and HO 2, (hydroperoxyl radical ) which combines with a hydrogen atom to make water and a fatty acid radical.HO 2

Propagation The fatty acid radical is not a very stable molecule, so it reacts readily with molecular oxygen, thereby creating a peroxyl- fatty acid radical.acid radicalmolecule This too is an unstable species that reacts with another free fatty acid, producing a different fatty acid radical and a lipid peroxide, or a cyclic peroxide if it had reacted with itself. This cycle continues, as the new fatty acid radical reacts in the same way.

Termination When a radical reacts with a non-radical, it always produces another radical, which is why the process is called a "chain reaction mechanism." The radical reaction stops when two radicals react and produce a non-radical species.

Termination This happens only when the concentration of radical species is high enough for there to be a high probability of collision of two radicals. Living organisms have evolved different molecules that speed up termination by catching free radicals and, therefore, protecting the cell membrane. One important such antioxidant is vitamin E. Other anti-oxidants made within the body include the enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase.antioxidantvitamin Esuperoxide dismutasecatalaseperoxidase